1. Field of the Invention
The presents invention relates to an image/tone control device that controls the quality of an image and an audio, and more specifically to an image/tone control device wherein control parameters are collectively handled, and a television apparatus equipped with the image/tone control device.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 7 shows a conventional image/tone control device used for a television apparatus and the like. The image/tone control device 1 is so designed as to receive a video signal, perform the predetermined signal processing on the received video signal, and process an image and a tone. The image/tone control device 1 includes: a video processing circuit 2 that performs predetermined signal processing on an received video signal; an audio processing circuit 3 that performs predetermined signal processing on a received audio signal; a ROM 4 that stores the parameter to be processed by the video processing circuit 2 and the parameter to be processed by the audio processing circuit 3; and a microcomputer 5 that refers to each value of the parameters stored in the ROM 4 and issues instructions to the video processing circuit 2 and the audio processing circuit 3 to cause them perform the signal processing.
In this configuration, each of the video processing circuit 2 and the audio processing circuit 3 receives the instruction from the microcomputer 5 and performs the signal processing according to the parameter stored in the ROM 4.
The signal processing to be performed by the video processing circuit 2 and the audio processing circuit 3 of an image/tone control device 1 can be controlled by a user through the operation of a remote control 6. The types of signal processing to be performed on a video signal by the video processing circuit 2 include sharpness, brightness, contrast, tilt, gamma and color temperature corrections. A user operates the remote control 6 to change each signal processing value, while, for example, referring to a menu screen displayed on the display. Based on the signal processing value optionally changed by a user, the video processing circuit 2 processes a video signal.
This image/tone control device has several types of correction items as described above, and thus it is possible to produce an image and a tone desired by a user. However, it is disadvantageous that there are many correction items and a user needs to adjust those items individually, which is far from user-friendly especially for a user who is unfamiliar with the image/tone correction operation. This prevents most users from using the image/tone control device, and makes this valuable device useless.
Also disclosed is the invention wherein television programs are recorded on a video recorder through the use of a remote control for a television apparatus, as one example of a method for making a video recorder easier to use.
That is, the television apparatus has a program function that accepts recording conditions and, when programmed time comes, transmits the recording conditions to the video recorder. Thanks to this function, the video recorder is controlled by a remote control of the television apparatus (refer to, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (JP-A No. 2002-238001).
Another invention is disclosed wherein plural image control items are controlled collectively in order for a user to control image easily. That is, a memory is provided that stores plural image control parameters collectively and the microcomputer refers to the memory to perform image control collectively (refer to, for example, JP-A No. 1989-254082).
Still another invention is disclosed wherein when AI signal processing for automatic image/tone control has been done, a user is informed of the fact that the AI signal processing has been done. That is, the television apparatus is provided with a function of displaying simultaneously both a portion where image control has been done and a portion where image has not been done on screen, and thereby a user is able to compare these two portions and check that the AI signal processing has been done (refer to, for example, JP-A No. 1993-207399).
A problem of the invention of JP-A No. 2002-238001 is that it is only applicable to video recording and is not an invention to facilitate image/tone control like the present invention.
Also, the invention of JP-A No. 1989-264082 described above has the following problem:
This invention makes it easy for a user to control image by allowing collective control of image. For this purpose, it is necessary for a user to combine the control items or for the factory to preset the combination before shipment.
However, in the former case a user must combine the control items, which is still inconvenient for users who are unfamiliar with the control operation. In the latter case, although the combination of control items is preset before shipment and a user needs not to combine them, the collectively preset combination may not be user's preference. In addition, there is no guideline for selecting the collectively combined control items, which could cause the inconvenience of the selection by a user.
A problem of the invention of JP-A No. 1993-207399 described above is that it is an invention to determine whether a user has done image control after the automatic image control and not an invention to resolve the inconvenience of controlling image/tone, unlike the present invention.